Description

Box with milky clear vinyl, cd, dvd, T-shirt in size Large and patch. Limited 100 copies

The long-awaited album from legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metalsters, Paralex. 30 years in the making, and worth the wait. Paralex bubbled just under the big time during the NWOBHM scene not realising their potential with just one crappy-produced 12″ EP which was released in 1980 by Reddingtons Rare Records. For some reason they never got another deal, faded into obscurity and finally split in, I think, 1986. Their web site says the band reformed virtually in 2013 to re-record most of their back catalogue as a thank-you to the fans that had been calling for old demos to be released. Considering these tracks have been recorded on home-studios on virtually zero budget, they haven’t done a shabby job .The Key To A Thousand Doors cd features the White Lightning EP from 1980 together with 13 tracks recorded during 2015 and a bonus live dvd from Nottingham 1981. The White Lightning is a Nwobhm classic but on this album they almost sounds dated because after the original EP versions comes the new re-recorded versions and theres such a difference. It shows that Paralex still kicks some serious ass. Travelling Man starts with a slow grinding dirty guitar riff which goes into the main song full tilt. Production is top-notch considering this has been recorded on domestic PCs (as stated on their web site, if this is true). Double-bass drums and blistering guitar solos make this short song a classic. Up next, White Lightning, a bog standard bikers anthem by comparison, but rocks nevertheless. Black Widow next with a great riff and brilliant bluesy/metal fusion section at the end. I’m loving this already. The thing I love about this album is that all the tracks are different. It is not formulaic like, say, an Iron Maiden, Saxon or AC/DC disc. Standout tracks for me are Lionheart, penned by ex Paralex member Kevin Bower (now playing in the mighty Hell), Masters of the Skies and the closing track, We Are not the First which is a slab of metal riffdom with soaring guitar harmonies, off-beats, fantastic solos and stirling drum-work. I can thoroughly recommend this album to any fan of good heavy metal music.

Track listing:
1. Travelling Man
2. White Lightning
3. Black Widow
4. Travelling Man
5. White Lightning
6. Black Widow
7. Crossing The Bridge
8. The Devils Calvary
9. Dogfight
10. Fool Brittania
11. Getting Somewhere
12. Justice
13. Lionheart
14. Master Of The Skies
15. Rock The Force
16. We Are Not The First

Dvd listing: Live In Nottingham Boat Club 1981
1. Justice
2. Getting Somewhere
3. Lionheart
4. Rock The Force